Category Archives: Desserts/Baking

Pull-Apart Pizza Bread

Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Breads by

This bread would be delicious to have with an Italian meal, for an afternoon snack, or part of a quick lunch. It tastes just like pizza but is made with prepared refrigerated biscuit dough. The fun part is pulling off the individual pieces, especially while it’s still warm.

I made this with my son yesterday after seeing the recipe in his children’s magazine. We put the bread on the dinner table and loved tearing the pieces off. There was one piece left over, but it didn’t last very long after dinner.

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1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 12-oz. can refrigerated biscuit dough*
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano

 

Grease a 1-quart Bundt pan or angel food cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Heat the oven to 350F/175C degrees.

Sprinkle 3 Tbsp. of the cheese and 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the sauce around the bottom of the pan. Separate the biscuits from each other and tear each into three pieces.

Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave. Dip half the biscuits in the melted butter and put them into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and sauce, bell pepper, and oregano on top.

Slightly stretch apart the remaining biscuit pieces, dip into the butter, and add them to the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and let cook 5 minutes on a rack. Remove from pan and place, inverted, on a serving plate.

*For those not in the United States, you’ll have to substitute a homemade biscuit dough for the canned, refrigerated kind. Do a search for “Southern buttermilk biscuit recipe” to find one. I have not made this one, but I love Southern Living magazine, and the recipe is probably good. Complete the recipe through Step 2, then weigh the dough and use only 12 ounces of it. Then divide in half and just pinch off large chunks to proceed with the pizza bread recipe.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

This mound of a cookie is a peanut butter and chocolate lover’s dream. It’s a thick peanut butter cookie loaded with bits of peanut and chunks of chocolate. They actually taste best when warm, right out of the oven.

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Makes about 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup (4 oz. or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 bag (11 oz.) semisweet chocolate chunks or jumbo morsels
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat oven to 350F degrees. In a medium bowl, blend flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add both kinds of sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks and peanuts. Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 18 minutes and let cool on wire racks.

Note: If you miss your chance to eat them warm, you can microwave them on a paper towel for 15 seconds.

This recipe originally appeared in Family Circle magazine.

Strawberries & Cream Ice Cream

Posted in Desserts/Baking, Other Desserts by

Strawberries Cream Ice CreamStrawberry ice cream was my favorite kind for a long time growing up, and it was the first kind I ever made in our ice cream maker. The recipe I used came from the user’s manual and tasted fantastic. I have made it several times since then. But this is not that recipe.

This one came from The Sunday Times in London back in 2004. It was actually a recipe from the restaurant Inn the Park and was featured alongside others from their menu. I clipped them all because they all looked delicious, but I never got around to making them.

When I saw the recipe in my cookbook the other day, I decided I would finally test it to see which one I liked best. The verdict: They are definitely similar, both creamy and full of the flavor of fresh fruit, but this one has the edge. The ice cream turns out pink all over (rather than white with pink here and there) and strawberry bits are in every bite. And this one is even creamier.

Served in a white bowl, it looked delectable — and was very quickly gobbled down.

Some notes:
– The amounts may seem small, but don’t be tempted to double them. The mixture will fill the ice cream maker as is.
– The strange weight amounts reflect the conversion from metric.
– Check out this recipe for a way to use up the leftover egg whites.
– Remember to freeze the bowl of the ice cream maker ahead of time!

5 1/2 oz. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
6 1/4 oz. sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
13 fl. oz. heavy cream

In a small pot, place the strawberries and about a third of the sugar. Cook over medium low heat until strawberries are soft. Remove from heat and puree, then set aside.

In a saucepan, gently heat the milk and half the remaining sugar. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar in a bowl until pale yellow. Pour the egg mixture into the milk on the stove and cook over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.

Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. You will use this to quickly cool the custard mixture.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Pour into a medium bowl and then set the bowl in the ice water until cool. Churn in the ice cream maker until very thick, then transfer into a plastic container and place in the freezer.

Butter Caramel Cereal Clusters

Posted in Desserts/Baking, Leftover Ideas, Other Desserts by

cereal clustersI had lots of sweetened condensed milk in the pantry ever since I stocked up before the holidays. I wanted to use it up to clear some space, but I was surprised that the only recipes I had for sweetened condensed milk were for key lime pie and some custard tarts.

So I poked around online and mainly found recipes for frostings and little else. I found one recipe for a lemon meringue pie, but I have a recipe for that already that I’m quite happy with, and it doesn’t call for sweetened condensed milk. I also tried a butter cookie recipe but it turned out dry and not so tasty (my colleagues, who finished the batch, disagreed — but I know I can do better!).

Finally I found this recipe for cereal clusters, apparently popular in Latin America, and it was delicious. Easy to make, too — all you need is a pot on the stove, and there’s no baking involved. And it’s a good way to use leftover sweetened condensed milk because you can easily scale the recipe according to how much you have.

1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
7 cups corn flakes

Line 2 baking sheets with well buttered foil or parchment paper. Place corn flakes in a large bowl and set aside. Have a bowl of water ready for your fingers later.

In a pot over medium heat, melt the sugar until it becomes deep amber and just begins to smoke. Add butter and salt and stir with wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Remove from heat. While constantly stirring, add sweetened condensed milk and stir until completely incorporated.

Quickly pour it over the cereal and mix gently until all flakes look covered. Using a soup spoon, scoop mixture out into approximately 2 Tbsp.-sized balls. Wet or butter your fingers and lightly press the clusters together, then place them on the foil or parchment to let cool.

Allow the clusters to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

(I adapted this recipe from seriouseats.com.)

S’mores Bars II

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

20150303_144157[1]Back in 2011, I published a recipe for S’mores Bars using Golden Grahams cereal. It’s a no-bake recipe that was very popular. I recently came across this s’mores bars recipe in my binder from about 15 years ago. Like the other one, this recipe uses marshmallows and chocolate — but instead of using the cereal as a shortcut, it has a baked graham cracker crust. You add melted chocolate and marshmallows, then briefly brown them in the oven.

The two recipes end up having the same s’mores taste and are equally scrumptious. I’m not sure I have a favorite, so which one I make will probably depend on how much time I have (baking or no baking?) and what kind of dessert I want — big, crunchy squares in the style of Rice Krispie Treats, or crumbly layer bars with toasted marshmallows. Which one would you pick?

14 graham cracker rectangles, crushed finely
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate (do not use milk or dark chocolate)
4 heaping cups mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the first four ingredients, then press into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with the back of a spoon. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool.

Heat oven to 450F/230C degrees. Melt the chocolate and spread over the cool crust. Cover with marshmallows. When the oven is ready, place the pan inside and bake until the marshmallows are just browned, about 5 minutes.

Important: Let cool completely — preferably overnight — for the best taste. It’s not easy to wait, but it’s worth it!

Holiday Cornflake Wreaths

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking, Holiday, Other Desserts by

20141211_220232[1]These are like Rice Krispie Treats, only with cornflakes. They are a fun dessert to make at Christmastime, and very easy, too. Plus, they have only five ingredients.

Makes about 18

6 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
10 oz. marshmallows
1 tsp. or more green food coloring
Small red cinnamon candies (Red Hots)*

To prepare, butter two or three baking sheets — you will form the wreaths on them later. Put the cornflakes in a large bowl.

In a medium pot over low heat, melt the margarine. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted. Add the food coloring, starting with 1 tsp. but adding more as necessary until the mixture is dark green. (The ones in the picture above aren’t as dark as I intended.) Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cornflakes and mix carefully with a spoon until completely coated.

With buttered fingers, take out a small handful of the coated cornflakes (just enough to fill your palm). Put it on the buttered baking sheet and form into a wreath. Put four or five cinnamon candies on the wreath to look like berries.

Refrigerate the wreaths for several hours before serving. Use a spatula carefully to lift them off the baking sheets.

*I found the Red Hots in the baking aisle, next to the bottles of sprinkles — not in the candy aisle.

Blueberry Harvest Squares

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

Alma, Georgia, is the state’s blueberry capital with an annual blueberry festival at the start of June. Diane Carter, a magistrate in Bacon County — where Alma is located — won the festival’s annual cooking contest with this recipe. I don’t know what year that would have been, since I clipped this from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution more than 10 years ago, but I give Diane full credit for coming up with a delicious dessert. I didn’t alter a thing when I made this recipe today and it managed to earn lots of raves.

This is a wonderful recipe for the summer, when blueberries are fresh and you may be looking for a new way to use them. It’s the kind of dessert that would be great for a bake sale or pot luck — though I warn you that it’s very gooey. The cooler they get, the easier it is to lift the bars, though you still have to be careful. And even then, it will still be gooey.

It’s easy to make and you can do each step while waiting for the previous one to finish. The hardest part is waiting until it cools to cut into it. And if you can’t wait, then forget a knife — just grab a spoon and dig in.

FOR THE CRUST:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
3/4 cup margarine

FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups blueberries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup chopped almonds
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and chopped nuts. Cut in the margarine until it resembles fine crumbs. Press it into the bottom of the pan, coming slightly up the sides. Place it in the oven and bake about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and increase temperature to 375F degrees.

For the filling:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine blueberries, lemon juice, and flour. Place blueberries on top of the baked crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Return pan to oven and bake for 20 minutes.

For the topping:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, evaporated milk, egg, vanilla and almond extracts, nuts, and coconut. Mix well. Spoon over the baked blueberries. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before cutting.

Coconut Macaroons

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking, Leftover Ideas, Other Desserts by

IMAG1990Easy and quick to make, these macaroons are just right for Easter or Passover, or as a special, light treat any time of year.

You mix the ingredients in one bowl and the macaroons bake for just 20 minutes. They stay chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside for days.

These are also nice to make if you find yourself with leftover egg whites from another recipe. I had one egg white left over from cooking last night, so on a whim I decided to make these to use it up — I just divided the recipe by four. I think I’ll do that again in the future. (It’s a good excuse for a treat!)

Makes about 62

14 oz. (1.16 kg) sweetened shredded coconut
6 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp. almond extract

Heat oven to 325F/160C degrees. Lightly grease and flour a couple of baking sheets.

In a large bowl, mix coconut, flour, and salt. Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet (use a round tablespoon measure, if you have one, for the best shape).

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Immediately remove them from the baking sheets and let cool on wire rack.

*For Passover macaroons, substitute matzoh meal for the flour.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking by

Fun and easy to make. The surprise ingredient here is instant chocolate pudding mix, and the friend who gave me this recipe actually called them “Chocolate Pudding Chip Cookies.” These cookies definitely don’t have the look or taste of dark chocolate; they are light-tasting and chocolatey sweet.

Makes about 40

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375F/190C degrees.

Mix butter, sugars, pudding, and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Mix until creamy and light.

Add flour and baking soda. Mix until batter is stiff. Add chips and nuts.

Drop cookies in dollops about the size of ping pong balls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Ice Cream-Brownie Dessert

Posted in Cookies & Brownies & Bars, Desserts/Baking, Other Desserts by

When I first tried these brownies, I decided I didn’t like them on their own — the instant coffee in the recipe made them just a touch too bitter for my taste. But that flavor is a perfect complement to something sweeter and smoother, like vanilla ice cream. And the thick brownie also holds up well to the ice cream on top. I don’t think a regular brownie — or a slice of chocolate cake, for that matter — would work as well.

6 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (like Baker’s)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsweetened butter
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup crushed almonds
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F/175C degrees.

Microwave chocolate, butter, water, and instant coffee in a large microwavable bowl for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove from microwave and stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Beat sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 minutes. Add flour, almonds, cinnamon and salt; beat until well blended. Add chocolate-butter mixture and blend well.

Spread in a greased, foil-lined 9-inch square baking pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Let cool in pan, then cut into squares. Top with vanilla ice cream before serving.